The Nimble Goddess Series
by polgara-5
Summary: Formally called Out To Get You. I'm linking my 20-min responses together. These fics will center around the David Eddings character Aphrael.
1. Out To Get You

A 20-minute Angel challenge response.

Title: Out To Get You.

Author: Polgara (Melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com)

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel or Harmony - Joss Whedon does. I also don't own Flute - David Eddings does.

Summary: Angel has a girl problem.

Spoilers: Up through Shells for Angel. Lots of mentions of what has happened this season! None really for Flute.

Out To Get You

Angel sighed. He wondered if the Powers were purposely trying to drive him insane. Not that they were directly responsible for everything, but he was beginning to wonder.

The past six months or so had been crazy. It began by taking over Wolfram and Hart, then Spike came back, Spike beating him cause he wanted the reward more, Cordy's death, and then Fred's. Not to mention the whole being turned into a puppet incident, talk about embarrassing.

And now there was this. The brooding vampire looked down at the peacefully sleeping girl in his lap. She was simply dressed in a white smock and her bare feet had grass stains.

The little six-year-old had just walked into his office, climbed into his lap, and promptly fell asleep. She said nothing, just gave him an impish grin. Every time he tried to put her down, she physically protested until he stopped.

Angel looked up as Harmony entered his office. "Anything?" He asked hopefully.

"Nothing boss. Nobody seems to know who she is and there have been no missing children reports."

"Keep trying," he instructed. "She can't stay here."

"Understood boss," she said, before leaving.

He looked back down at the girl in his lap and was surprised to see she was awake. "What's your name?"

She raised a set of shepherd's pipes to little pink lips and gave a little trill.

"Not talking huh?"

He black eyes just shone in merriment.

********

Angel sat quietly in the car as he drove back to the office. He felt a little guilty about leaving the girl at the orphanage, but he didn't know what else to do.

The girl had been in his life for barely six hours and he found himself missing her. Somehow she tapped into his fathering instinct and had filled the hole that losing Connor had left.

He trudged slowly through the building back to his office. He had stepped through the doors and stopped in surprise. "How did you get here?"

The little girl smiled back from her perch on top of his desk.

"I have to take you back." She just looked at him. "But you won't stay there will you?"

She hopped off the table and walked over to him. She held her arms up in a wordless plea until he picked her up.

"It's not safe for you here. You'll get hurt." She rolled her eyes and snuggled in close. "Well Flute, it's your decision... I guess."  
He never saw the triumphant look on her face.

Yeah, the Powers were definitely out to get him.

~finis~


	2. Looking Out For You

A 20-minute Cordelia challenge response.

Title: Looking Out For You

Author: Polgara (melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com)

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I don't own Cordelia or Aphrael.

Summary: Cordelia's final act for Angel.

Spoilers: Up through Shells for Angel. Lots of mentions of what has happened this season! None really for Aphrael.

A/N: This story follows Out To Get You, my 2-min. Angel response. I got a lot of wonderful feedback and questions of whether I would continue it. So I got the idea of turning all of my 20-min challenge responses that had to do with characters from Angel into a series that crossed with David Eddings. 

A/N2: Aphrael and Flute are the same person, just so you guys know.

Calex, A Watcher, and Kim, thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Looking Out For You

Cordelia smiled as she watched Aphrael snuggle into Angel's arms. She was glad that the tiny goddess had liked her plan to help Angel. The brooding vampire was in need of some serious mood uplifting.

She had known that when she had accepted Aphrael's offer of death in one dimension to help someone else in another that it was going to be hard on both herself and Angel, but she hadn't imagined that it would be this bad. She just hadn't expected him to lose Fred so soon after her.

Aphrael had been the one to help her make her difficult decision about what needed to be done. Honestly, it had kind of freaked her out to have such a serious discussion about world-altering events with someone who barely looked six. But the little goddess was much, much older. So much older, that it made Cordy's head hurt just thinking about it.

Cordy had discovered that the Powers were actually a group of former gods from different dimensions that had joined forces for the greater good. Aphrael had been one of three who had survived from her dimension. The half demon's mind sort of wandered during Aphrael's explanation of what had happened, but understood that the goddess had survived because of the amount of love she possessed for others.

Knowing that Aphrael had a soft spot for Angel, and that her powers worked best with touch, having experienced it herself, Cordelia had formed a plan. She had suggested that the nimble little goddess go down there and spend a little one-on-one time with their brooding champion.

Cordelia was worried that without Aphrael's presence, Angel would lose focus again because of the loss of two of his people and the possible betrayal of another. Only the little goddess would be able to unobtrusively smooth things over and get them back on track.

She peered down once more and was pleased to see that soft look on Angel's face that had once only been used on Connor reappear. Cordelia sighed softly as she realized that this was her last act to help Angel, but she knew that Aphrael would look out for him now.

The half-demon seer resolutely turned away and steeled her shoulders as she prepared to be sent to her next assignment. It was a good thing that she was used to looking after difficult men, 'cause this Logan guy sounded like a handful.

~finis~


End file.
